Thug hit reveller with gas canister during large-scale Leeds pub brawl after Tyson Fury boxing match

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A cowardly thug smashed a gas canister over the head of man from behind during a pub brawl following the televised heavyweight fight involving Tyson Fury.

Wayne Simpson has a lengthy record for violence and was handed a new jail term this week for becoming involved in the large-scale fight outside The New Middleton pub in Middleton.

Leeds Crown Court heard that the Thorpe Street pub had been busy as drinkers gathered to watch the heavyweight boxing title bout between Britain’s Tyson Fury and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in May.

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But prosecutor Heather Gilmore said the atmosphere turned sour just after midnight and a fight spilled out onto the street. Arriving police officers described it as “chaos”.

Wayne Simpson (pictured) blindsided the man with a gas canister outside The New Middleton pub in Middleton. (pics by WYP / Google Maps)Wayne Simpson (pictured) blindsided the man with a gas canister outside The New Middleton pub in Middleton. (pics by WYP / Google Maps)
Wayne Simpson (pictured) blindsided the man with a gas canister outside The New Middleton pub in Middleton. (pics by WYP / Google Maps) | WYP / Google Maps

CCTV was later analysed and 43-year-old Simpson was spotted retrieving a helium gas canister, approaching the victim from behind and striking him around the head and knocking him unconscious. Simpson then left the scene.

The victim suffered a bleed to the brain and fractures to his face and nose.

Simpson, of Asquith Avenue, Beeston, was later arrested after being found hiding under lagging, the court heard.

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He denied Section 18 GBH with intent, and later admitted the lesser charge of Section 20 GBH without intent, which was accepted by the Crown.

He was jailed for an indeterminate period in 2008 for a shotgun offence, and jailed for 81 months in 2014 for an aggravated burglary with intent.

Simpson appeared in court this week via video link from HMP Leeds, after being recalled.

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Mitigating, Martin Morrow said Simpson had regrets about his involvement in the pub scrap. He said he himself had been punched and also feared for his son who was involved.

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar jailed him for 31 months and said: “You were under the influence of drink . Drink is something that has been with you a long time.

“You deliberately walked across with the view of attacking someone in the crowd. You are fortunate that the prosecution accepted Section 20 [GBH].”

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